Harry Potter Life
by Rasiaa
Summary: A Story of Love, Hate, Laughs, Tears, War, Peace, Betrayal, Hurt, Whiskey, Smiles, Sideways Glances, I Love Yous, and Magic. Pairings- RLSB:JPLEP:HPGW:RWHG:DMAG:RLNT:PPMM:TLVW: Regulus Black, The Black Sisters, Golden Trio, Marauders, Weasley- Potter Clan, and so much more. 34- He doesn't know if she'll say yes or not.
1. Wonder

Sometimes he wondered why he hung out with one Sirius Black.

Sometimes he wondered why he fancied one Lily Evens.

Sometimes he wondered why one Remus Lupin managed to keep _both _of them in line.

Sometimes he wondered why he kept one Peter Pettigrew around.

Now, though, he saw why.

Sirius ran helplessly around the common room, crying "Moony! Save me!" with a bottle of firewhiskey in hand, why Lily, her flaming red hair flying, ran after him with dozens of curses. Remus suddenly grabbed Sirius' arm and pulled him against him, successfully shutting him up with a quick kiss. He stopped Lily with a simple wave of his hand. All the while, Peter had sat there, wide eyes, nibbling on chocolate. He was like a cute little brother you couldn't help but keep around with a face like that.

Sometimes he wondered where exactly he sanity had gone and when it left.


	2. Meatball

It all went down with a meatball, you know. Never before had it gone down that way, but there's always a first, right?

Lily had cooked spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, and apparently Harry did not like that. Not at all.

After a few minutes of idle chitchat between James, Lily, Remus and Sirius, a meatball made its way across the table to hit James on the face. Sirius, being the prat he was, decided this was the funniest thing ever and laughed until he fell off his seat. Even Remus, calm, not-a-prat Remus, laughed 'til he chocked.

Meanwhile, Lovely Lily lost all her loveliness in James' humble opinion. She laughed, too, along with Harry's insane giggles, and cheers. Traitors.


	3. Read

Really, it is very hard to read with Sirius as a boyfriend.

"Remus. Remus. Remus, Moony, Moony, _Moony_, Remus. Remus. Remus. Moony. Answer me, please, Moony. Remus, please. Remus. Remus. Moony. _Remus!"_

Fed up, Remus slammed his book down on his lap and glared at the annoying object beside him, who decided it would be a great time to show his most dashing smile that clearly said he knew he was a prat but wanted you to love him anyway. His anger dimmed a little bit, but not much.

"For Merlin's sake Sirius, _what?"_ Remus demanded, glaring at the boy.

"Good Morning."


	4. Six AM

What _exactly_ was so important at six in the morning Lily would never know. All that she knew was Harry was screaming his head off, and James slept like the dead. Not quite unlike his three deadbeat friends who were too rich for their own good, so they needn't jobs, so they crashed at James, Lily, and Harry's most nights.

When Lily got up and went into Harry's room, she found that Remus had just reached him, and was talking softly to his godson. Slowly, Harry turned to him with wide green eyes, mystified by Remus' voice. She almost laughed out loud when she heard Remus say, "So you're going to shut up now and let us sleep, right, cub?"

Yes, indeed, her son shut up, right up until James woke up and walked in, causing Harry to shriek with glee and cry out for his father. "You suck, Prongs," Remus mumbled as he rubbed his ears.


	5. Cry

The War had ended four days ago. This meant it was not unusual for screams to ring throughout the Burrow at two in the morning. "Hermione!" Ron cried.

Harry heard the door swing open and Hermione and Ginny clambered in, blindly feeling their way towards their respective boyfriends in fear. Harry sat up in his bed, feeling Ginny climb in beside him. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her flaming red hair while she cried softly into his shirt.

Hermione had drawn Ron up from the bed and they clung to one another in desperation, fearful that if they let go, they would never get them back.


	6. Grave

Teddy walked outside, toward the plot of land where they were lying. He reached the silver gate, glancing to the one next to it- the one where the Death Eaters were buried. Harry had allowed them there, because he saw things from their point of view. To the surviving Death Eaters and coat-turners, they were heroes, and deserved similar respect. Teddy personally thought his godfather was insane, but he'd always been that way.

He moved through the graveyard, listening to the birds chirping. It was March 10, his father's birthday. He saw the grave, and rushed over to it.

Remus J. Lupin ~ Nymphadora T. Lupin Born, March 10, 1960 ~ Born, April, 17, 1973 Died 2, May, 1998 ~ Died 2, May, 1998 To the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure

_Sacrifice never forgotten_

"Happy birthday, Dad," Teddy muttered, lying a flower in front of the stone, "Love and miss you."


	7. Too Much

It was all too much. Too much. About a week ago, Sirius Black had been tossed into Azkaban without a second glance, leaving him in the High Security prisons, where they Death Eaters were. He didn't belong here; he belonged out there, with his godson, with Remus, grieving Lily and James. Instead he was alone.

Remus hadn't come to visit him. And Sirius had thought for sure he would. To find out the truth of what happened. But, no, they all thought he was a mad mass murderer. He'd never even killed anyone before, never mind thirteen people. Bad thought, feelings, sadness and sorrow filled him and threatened to break free. It was all too much. Way. Too. Damn. Much.


	8. Path

Albus and James often fought in the corridors with their little sister Lily trying to get them to stop. This time, though, it was particularly bad. All three of Harry's children were in the hospital wing, and Albus was unconscious. Lily had a minor concussion. James had broken his arm in six places, from his wrist to his shoulder.

"Why do you do this, James?" Harry asked his eldest son, who was looking down at his hands.

He looked up. "Because he's in Slytherin, Dad!" he said. "Slytherins turn out to be bad wizards."

Harry shook his head. "No. Not always. You remember Regulus Black? And Scorpius' father, Draco Malfoy, as well as his mother, Astoria? They both were in Slytherin. Andromeda, Teddy's grandmother, was as well. And Scorpius himself. Have you ever even spoken to him? And, your cousin, Dom, is Slytherin, yet you don't attack her.

"Don't continue down this path, James. It's not a good one. My godfather and his brother did the same thing, for the same reasons, and they wound up hating each other. Don't follow them, James, please. It's not worth it."

James looked down again. He'd often heard of Regulus and Sirius Black. Both had died way too young. He had met Draco Malfoy, and never had thought much of him. Astoria was really a nice person. Andromeda was one of the nicest people he knew, almost like his grandmother instead of Teddy's. Dom was his favorite cousin. He had never spared Scorpius a second glance. "I'll stop."


	9. Mirror

Okay, this time, Bella had gone too far. It was time for payback. Slipping under the table after "accidentally" dropping his fork, Sirius scurried over to Bella's place. He sat at her feet and opened his hands, allowing the black widow spider to scurry up her dress. He grinned when he heard her scream, and rushed back to his own seat, watching the show with gray eyes that told nothing.

But Bella knew. She _always _knew. For years, it had been that way. Sirius and Bella were best friends, yet the worst of enemies, after all. It was only right that they punish one another. But throwing poor Reggie down the stairs? Sirius wouldn't have that. No, no, no… so he gave her a black widow to even out the score.

However, Sirius had not expected for Bella to leap over the table towards him. Sensing danger, Sirius leaped out of the way, sending Bella crashing into the hard chair that Sirius had been sitting on moments before. He grinned, and dashed away, into the drawing room, where Bella followed.

Bella said nothing, yet her almost black eyes said everything. _You bastard. You'll pay. I hate you. You're not going to win this one, cousin, dear. You never win. I'll win. I'll win, because I care too much to let you take the blame. But, this was too far…_

She shot forward, shoving her long, pointy fingers into Sirius' chest, sending him sprawling backwards into the mirror, which shattered around him, cutting into his pale skin, tearing at his best robes, and sending Sirius' mother into a screaming fury at Bella, while his father rushed to pull Sirius from the rubble, and Reg stood in the doorway, surrounded by the other cousins, aunts, and uncles.


	10. Nostalgic

She watches her cousin pace his cell. Back and forth, muttering. Sounds like plans. Plans for what…? Never mind. Back and forth. Back and forth. Her dark eyes follow his every movement, and she felt her heart break when he punched the wall so hard the stone cracks, and she heard him whimper in pain before retreating to the shadows.

Still, she watches. She can make out his small, once full frame in the corner, nursing his broken hand. She shouldn't have felt the sympathy, but she'd been feeling oddly nostalgic for her younger Hogwarts years for a while. And, for the life of her, she doesn't know why. It wasn't as if she cared for her cousin, or her sister. No. Never. They made their choices. She made hers.

But, she can still dream, right? It wasn't as if she was ever getting out of Hell for the New World they lived in. _Lived_. Ha. Ha, ha. Ha, ha, ha, ha. Very funny, Bellatrix! You've been dead for a long time. Since…since they made their choices, she realized, the shock sending her crashing backwards into her cell walls. For a moment, the warden and her cousin look at her, surprised, but she doesn't notice. All she can think of was that she missed her sisters, and she missed her cousins.

_I miss you._


	11. Dwell

Albus doesn't dwell on what was behind him. He knows it would kill him. His father was a great example as to what would happen. He thinks they don't realize how broken he really is. But, unlike his father, Albus was great at hiding his emotions. He was not a Slytherin for nothing, after all. But this, this has shaken him to the core. He didn't want to believe that after all this time; his "grandmother" was dead.

Teddy had taken it worse than Albus, though. Still, Andromeda had been apart of their lives for so long. And now, a week before he ends in first year at Hogwarts, he gets a note she's dead. And he doesn't bother to hide his grief, but he doesn't dwell for long. He let it go, one night, then bottled the rest up and put it behind him.

What Albus doesn't realize, though, is that he is following his father's footsteps.


	12. Fireworks

The fireworks created a ray of color so beautiful the two boys were silent for a moment, just watching, waiting. For what, though, they didn't know. It was magic, and it was wonderful. They both knew it would look great over the fields of Hogwarts, glistening in their names. Fred and George. George and Fred. Twin brothers.

They let them go again, their brown eyes watching every little explosion, alight with glee and mischief and wonder. They were seventeen, but they could still enjoy the little things, right? It wasn't like anyone else would find out. Besides, it was too great not to love. The boys wondered why they hadn't tried the fireworks before now.

Three years later, he was twenty, and the other was forever nineteen, six feet below. George let the fireworks go, and he watched with brown eyes, alight with the sense of freedom and love. He could almost imagine his brother crouching next to him, watching, waiting, and smiling. For a moment, George thought he heard his brother's voice.

_Fireworks always brought out the best in you. Let them bring it back._


	13. High

Remus stumbled into the dorm room, and his fiends looked up in alarm. He regained his composure quickly, though, so they relaxed…right up until Remus dumped his bags onto the floor at Sirius' feet. Remus fumbled with his robes for a moment, as though looking for something while the others kept staring at him. Emus smiled when he pulled out a crumpled paper and handed it to Sirius, who took it and opened it.

Sirius read it, but didn't get very far before Remus nuzzled at Sirius' arm, lifting it and snuggling up against Sirius with a content sigh. Sirius frowned, but didn't say anything, but continued to read the letter. He smiled slightly when he finished. "It's okay, lads," he said, "Moony's just high on pain meds."


	14. Books

Standing waist deep in murky waters under the rain with nothing but the clothes on your back and the crossbow in your hands…The undead seek you out, and soon, love, they will find you…Merciless they are…No matter your age, they will hunt and kill for blood…The rich waters of the marsh churn as you turn to face your tracker…It's there.

A rather dismal book, Percy thought, looking up as his daughter, Molly came into the room. She ignored Percy, instead sitting on the floor, her own book in hand. He watched the young child read next to the fire that cackled merrily, keeping the cold away from the house. It was the second day of Christmas holidays and the eleven-year-old Hufflepuff had yet to speak to her father.

"Molly," Percy called, quietly. She looked up, curious. Upon spotting Percy, she smiled. "You've not spoken to me since you got home, sweetheart, is something wrong?"

Molly shook her head, still smiling, and stood, leaving her book open n the floor. "I just got this book, and it's great, you know, Dad. I didn't mean to ignore you, or anyone else. I've not really spoken to anyone, if that makes you feel better."

"What book is it?" Percy asked, understanding now why Molly hadn't said anything. He knew books to be captivating creatures.

"A Muggle book, called Alice in Wonderland."

"That is a good one," Percy acknowledged.

"Indeed, Daddy."


	15. Fairytales

Oh honey, what a tragedy. When you looked into the mirror, you saw someone- not you- staring back at you. When had you grown up, left behind your fairytale adventures? Honey, you should know by now that "happily ever after" doesn't exist. Real life doesn't work like that.

Sure, honey, magic still exists, and love still blossoms. But, unlike in the stories, it doesn't last. One mistake can tear it all down around you; maybe even crush you in the process.

_PROMISE is a big word. It either makes something or breaks everything. _

And it did, didn't it, honey? Your prince charming left you, that one kiss didn't wake you up; instead, it almost killed you. You don't live with seven other people for company, because who would? The birds and the animals don't come at your call. The mirror doesn't pay you compliments or grant you wishes. It says nothing. The frog that turned into a prince…oh, honey, he's still just that, a frog! The cat is gone, never to make you smile again. I'm so sorry, honey, but don't you know that promises and vows and their forever means nothing, in the end?

You clung to your childhood, honey, because, after all, you're only 21- still a baby, in all standards. You don't know how to survive without the help of others, and you were flung out of school into a war, and honey, what kind of life is that? Who would do that to a 17-year-old child? You told each other you were ready, but honey, were you really?

There comes a time when you have to choose between turning the page and closing the book.

Because life is cruel that way, honey, didn't you know? Of course you didn't, you're still a baby, after all! They know what they're doing- those without their magic reawaked from their ancestors. You are not an adult- not even a little. Oh, sure, honey, you know how to cook and clean and of those other things- but honey, when it all comes down to it, you don't know what it's like to really live, and love, and hate, and _feel._

He told you, honey, that there was still time, that he would do it next time, and the time after that. Honey, that was not the case, was it? No, he left, wine spilled over the walls, glass cutting into your bare feet. He left you, honey, to your madness. Didn't he? It's dark there; honey, and you belong there, don't you? But he still, even as he left, promised to be back. He promised, "Next time." What next time, honey? Did you not realize that there is a concept of, "It's too late," and "Time's up," and "It's all gone- it's over."

_One day, you'll be just a memory for some people. Do your best to be a good one._

What happened, honey? Oh, right…you grew up. You opened your eyes. You woke up from one nightmare, only to be thrown carelessly into another one. One that was so much darker, isn't that right, honey?


	16. Friends

Harry smiled. It had been a long time sense he had. For the past couple of years, he'd been locked up, alone, in Grimmauld Place, redoing it. It was nice to see sunlight again, and wonderful to see Ron and Hermione again. He stood up and waved them over, and they caught sight of him.

Hermione dropped her coat and purse, crying out, "Harry!" and not caring that everyone in the restaurant turned to face them. Harry couldn't find it in him to care either. He caught her as she flung herself at him, pressing her face into his neck. Ron smiled and walked over, Hermione's coat on his arm and her purse slung over his left shoulder.

"About time you came out again, mate," Ron told him, placing a hand on Hermione's back as he hugged Harry with his free arm. "We've been worried sick. Don't do that again." Hermione let out a muffled agreement, and the Muggles in the restaurant turned back to their lunch, ignoring the wizards.


	17. Why

I_n one night, everything changed._

Remus didn't quite want to believe it. But, there it was, happening right in front of his eyes. The water sprayed everywhere, and the blood of Peter and twelve others- Muggles- coated the streets and nearby buildings, which were caught in the fire. The Dementors had already left with the Ministry officials and Sirius.

He knew that Sirius would not be given any trial. Not when everything was against him. The evidence was right there, and Remus could see it. He felt numb. It rushed through his veins and froze his mind, heart, and blood. He stopped where the fight had taken place. His eyes closed. His mind clouded over. His blood began to race. His heartbeat picked up. Pain, unbearable pain, sadness, grief, shock, anger, and loneliness coated him.

Still, through it all, he could help but wonder why.


	18. Eyes

His eyes were magical. Truly. Sometimes they were blue, or gray, or hazel. She saw violet eyes, once, and another time they were electric blue, with white flecks. She wondered why he changed them so often. When she asked him, his eyes were amber. Just like his father's eyes. His hair, instead of its usual array of color with gel and glitter, was soft, tawny and it hung in his eyes, sticking to those beautifully long lashes. He looked so much like him that day; she almost couldn't speak to him. She asked, "Why must you change your eyes and hair each day, or hour?"

And he replied with a smile. He said, "Because, sweet, my hair and eyes represent me. I am complex, so, my hair and eyes always change to fit my mood, yes?"

"Then why do you have tawny hair and amber eyes?"

It took him a moment to respond. Then, he flashed his ring in the sunlight, studying it. "I suppose," he said, "I just feel calm and collected. I've always been told my father was that way. And this is what he looked like."

"I see," she told him. But she didn't, not really, and she supposed she never would. Because he was Teddy Remus Lupin, and she was Victorie Weasley, and some things about him she could never understand, simply because he was so many people all at once.


	19. Younger

"What are you doing?" a voice asked.

Regulus Black jumped guiltily and turned around. Truthfully, he wasn't doing much of anything at all, which was the worst thing he could be doing. He could've been cleaning, or repairing the safe house, or writing to his mother, or, or, or.

Anything but sitting around.

But, he relaxed at the sight of Rabastan Lestrange. He wouldn't do anything, because he, after all, didn't do much of anything, either. Rabastan was the nice Lestrange brother. Rodolphus, however, spent most of his time trailing after his wife, Bellatrix, like a lost puppy and got awfully dangerous when she was threatened. When he wasn't doing that, he was killing and beating and everything else that Death Eaters were supposed to do.

Supposed to do. Older brothers were the ones who had to do the "supposed to do"s. Not the younger ones. Which was why, of course, that Rabastan understood Regulus wasn't doing anything other than staring out the window at the world he wasn't so sure he wanted to fight for anymore. Rabastan took one look at Regulus and smiled. "Nothing, huh?" he said, and Regulus nodded, and Rabastan took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag. Then he said, "Me too."


	20. Café

He met her in a café. It was just a small little thing, nothing big, not really. It served coffee, and other drinks and little cakes with frosting and fruit on them and cookies and all those other little snacks you want but shouldn't have. It was run-down and family owned, the last place anyone would think to look for him. And he liked it that way.

She walked in the door, dressed in a cheetah fur coat over her lovely little black lacy dress and thigh-high boots that laced all the way up with heels. He blonde hair was curled into a bun atop her head, and her blue-gray eyes were fixated on the counter. He couldn't help but wonder why she was there.

Oh, certainly, he had heard of her, Daphne Greengrass. All proper Purebloods did; after all, she was the fifth person in line to be his wife. But because she was the fifth choice, she wasn't of any real importance. Of course, all those thought vanished, and he knew he'd much rather marry her than Pansy Parkinson or any other snob.

Daphne ordered coffee and sat by the window. He left all of his belongings at his table and walked over to her. She looked at him, her face expressionless. He extended a hand to her, bowing and said, "Draco Malfoy, Ms. Greengrass. A pleasure to meet you at last. Would you like to talk?" And she said yes.


	21. Petals

The pink flower petals, silky and soft, slipped between her fingers and fell in her light-blonde, waist-length hair. Her blue-gray eyes danced with delight as she runs, barefoot and in a light blue with white sunflowers sundress. She is beautiful.

He ran along behind her, laughing in delight. He too, was barefoot, wearing overalls on top of a light blue tee shirt. His darker blonde hair was cut neatly, but the petals grabbed onto the tips of hair anyway. His stormy gray eyes were wide and framed by long lashes. He is wonderful.

They met at the river, where he found her digging her toes in the mud with her arms spread wide, face turned to the blinding sun. He slipped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck, smiling when she giggled. "I love you, Luna," he told her softly.

She didn't turn around, but she said it back. "I love you, too, Rolf."


	22. Cards

He gently placed the final card on the top on the tower. He felt a rush of pride run through him, and he smiled in delight. It had taken him almost a year to perfect his card tower, and he had finally done it! It stood tall at three feet, with the black cards nearer to the bottom, and the red ones towards the top.

Still giddy with a sense of accomplishment, he stood and poured himself a shot of fire whisky and grabbed a Chocolate Frog from his pile beside him. After downing the shot, he was about to open the Chocolate Frog when the Common Room door burst open, and James, closely followed by a raging Lily Evens, rushed inside. She hit him with hex after hex, and one particularly back tripping hex hit him on his back and toppled forward. Right onto his card tower.

James immediately looked up at him, and he glared at the red-faced boy. "I'm sorry, Pete," James said.

Peter just rolled his eyes and walked away, not even turning when James let out a yelp that was probably heard in the Great Hall.


	23. Shorts

Determined, Victorie stormed into Teddy's room, the door slamming against the wall. Teddy's head shot up from his book, his green eyes wide with surprise. "I have gotten a negative reaction from everyone. I want your God-honest opinion, Teddy Lupin."

On what? Teddy looked her over, noticing her light pink top, her white-blonde hair, gray eyes, short, short jeans…ah. He didn't dare looked any lower than that, the sight of her bare, white legs making the heat rush to his face.

"Um, you really, really, er, look nice, Vic," Teddy mumbled, staring at his feet. Next thing he knew, a squealing girl was hugging him around his neck.

"Oh, thank you, Teddy!"


	24. Kiss

"You know, I never really did think of much else after I kissed you."

Remus frowns, looking over at Nymphadora. She's twirling around, considerably drunk, Remus notes, with a bottle in one hand and he edge of her skirt in the other. He could see up her skirt if he wanted, it's going up to her waist. All that twirling around it going to make her sick, he's sure of it.

He stands when she begins to wobble, and presses her arms to her sides. She stops and stares at him, the bottle crashing to the floor, scraping her bare feet. But all she notices are his amber eyes. And they're right in front of her.

She blinks, and then feels his lips on hers, and she feels nothing else. Her hands go around his neck, and her fingers bury themselves in his soft, tawny hair. All the while she thinks, before, it had been him who was shorter. He was in this position before, with Sirius. Her cousin. But, he's hers now.


	25. Nightmare

It always came back to him in flashbacks and echoes.

He could still see their wide, unseeing, unblinking eyes. He could hear their screams, the crackle of sick, twisted laughter, and the sound of roaring elements. He saw the flashes of red, blue, white, purple, orange, and green beneath his eyelids every time he blinked. He smelled the burning flesh, and wood, and he could almost always smell the blood mixed with sweat and water. He could feel their cold skin beneath his fingertips, and the feel of wet tears, and sticky blood, and a feeling of cold, numb shock seep through him whenever he reached the land of dreams. He was forever living in a nightmare.

It always made him think of the past.

He always made an effort not to dwell on what had happened to him, but how could he not? He saw himself in his son, and he saw his wife in their daughter. He saw his best friend in his nephew, and in his godson, he saw an echo of his honorary godfather and the woman he had married before he died. It made his heart ache, and his eyes water.

It always was the knowledge that they had something that was foreign to him that made him choke.


	26. Brush

The brush was soft in her hair. Her eyes were closed as she let her sister get all the tangles out of her blonde hair. "I can't believe you're to be married soon, Bella," she says to her sister.

The brush paused. Then it started up again, and Bella's fingers run over her sister's bangs, then her eyes, and she can feel Bella's sharp nails touch her cheek. "I'm not really going anywhere, Cissy. Surely, you know that. My husband is nobody to me. My name might be Lestrange soon, but not really. I'll always be Bellatrix Black. And, when you marry that Malfoy boy, your name will be both Malfoy and Black. And, it goes for Andy. She will be Rosier and Black. We'll not leave you."

"I know you won't," Cissy told her. "But I'm afraid Andy will. She's much too like Sirius to be proper, and Sirius, we all know, will be disowned for something awful."

The brush and Bella's fingers left. Cissy heard a soft ting when Bella put the brush down. She also heard approaching footsteps. She opened her eyes when she felt hands on her shoulders. In the mirror, she saw herself. Blonde hair, gray eyes, green dress. She saw Bella. Curly black hair, dark brown eyes, black dress. She also saw Andy. Brown hair, gray-green eyes, brown dress. She saw her sisters.


	27. Organized

Mary never considered herself to be particularly organized.

She always would find her things in odd places; her school trunk was a mess -one that Lily constantly threw fits over- she wrote her essays so the words were tilted to the right going downwards; and every morning she woke up with her feet on her pillow and her head hanging off the edge of her bed with her hair caught on some lock or another.

Maybe that's why she fit perfectly with Peter. Although he wasn't organized either, he made sure that she was. And she made sure he was, in turn.

When Peter had chocolate on his mouth, she would happily kiss it away; when her quills broke or got lost, he would find new ones for her, usually accompanied by chocolate or a single red rose. And, when they slept side-by-side, she woke up right-side up and coordinated, for once.


	28. Wine

The wine was bitter. The wine was oh, so bitter, and it traveled down his burning throat with unsettling ease. Tears stung the backs of his gray eyes, but at that moment, he really didn't care. His mother was talking, saying something, anything, trying in vain to get his attention, which wasn't really there anymore.

He couldn't believe what he was doing. It was the darkest kinds of dark magic, and it was done more than once, that much he was certain of. But, at that moment, all we was aware of was the oh so bitter wine, the weight of dark magic pressing in on him from all sides, and his decision.


	29. Unicorn

Barefoot, twigs snapped lightly under her soft footsteps. Her long blonde hair was tied in a bun on the top of her head, and the sundress she wore was just as simple- a light violet. As she walked through the forest, the birds sang their happy song, and the leaves swayed with the wind.

She slumped down in front of a tree, pulling her book into her lap. She opened it to the correct page, but before she could read, it stepped out.

Unicorns were rare, and came only to those who deserved to see them- the purest hearts. Her gray eyes followed it, as it came closer. It stood in front of her, and she reached out, slowly, to pat its muzzle. It did not move. She smiled.

"Hi, there," she said. "I'm Luna."


	30. Alcove

They were soaked, but really, why should they care? So wrapped up in each other.

Lily laughed and James dragged her away to the hidden alcove a few feet away. He pressed against her and pressed their mouths together. Lily surrendered to him immediately.

For a long time, they stayed there, kissing, grabbing desperately at wet clothes, unaware of everything and everyone around them. There was only Lily, and there was only James.

He trailed wet-hot kisses down her neck, along her jaw, on her collarbone. His wet jet-black hair tickled her chin. She moaned, her head thrown back in bliss, her red hair falling from its bun when he tugged at the pins. Then he pulled away, and her head snapped up sharply, her eyes confused and upset. He grinned, his mouth bruised, and said, "If we're to go any farther, we need to get to bed, Lily."

She nodded, seeing sense, and pulled him all the way back to the bedroom, dripped water all the way there. Neither of them noticed the puddle they left in the alcove.


	31. Dinner

The plate dropped from her fingers and she went down with it, sobbing.

The glass made a noise, a shattering sound, something that made her choke on her tears.

Arthur came quickly, and he felt his heart break at the sight of his wife crying on the floor. Ron and Harry followed Arthur, and then they slipped away when they saw what was wrong. Arthur had never been more grateful to them both.

He walked over to her and pulled her close, and she sobbed his name into his shirt. "Fred, Fred, Fred…"

"I know, darling." He felt tears coming. "I know. It'll be alright."

"No!"

"It will," he insisted. "I miss him too but we have to let him go. We have to be there for the children we still have. Bill and Victorie are coming over tonight, and Charlie is coming from Romania. George says he'll come out of his room, because Bill said he had big news to tell us."

"What news?" Molly sniffed.

"I've no idea," Arthur said. "But I know they're excited, you could hear it over the phone."

"Alright. I'll start dinner."

"No, no, Molly, dear. Hermione said she wants to tonight, and I'm sure she can drill Ron and Harry to help while Ginny sets up the tables and such. You go rest, or maybe visit George. We'll take care of it."


	32. Fun

When she tripped on the vine, he caught her with ease. She giggled sheepishly and he smiled at her, his green eyes dancing.

"Clumsy, there, dear?" he asked. She laughed and dusted herself off, purposely flinging it all on him. Then she hit him lightly on the arm and took off, laughing.

He caught up to her easily, lifting her up and twirling around while she laughed and laughed. "Harry!" she cried.

Harry laughed and tossed her into the lake, jumping in after her while she swam upwards, recovering from her shock. "You jerk!"

A smile was on her face, though. "You love me anyway, Gin," Harry said. And she nodded, kissing him before ducking under the water.


	33. Family

Sometimes she wonders why they bother to watch out for her.

Sure, she is their sister, and sure, their mother tells them to, and sure, they tell her it's because they love her, but she still can't help but wonder.

It's because Bill has so much work to do all the time, and he's the top of his class and he doesn't want to let anyone down.

It's because Charlie is so fascinated with the outside world, and desires to leave Britain and train the dragons.

It's because Percy has dreams, and he works and strives for approval that he will never, ever get because of the way he tires to get it.

It's because Fred has George and they always, always play tricks and have fun and make everyone's life so much better.

It's because George has Fred and wants to open his own shop to spread the joy and fun and games and tricks that he brings the family.

It's because Ron is best friends with Harry Potter and has no clue of his place in the world, and has never, really, really, looked out for her before because their bothers do it for him.

But then, where they're all gathered around, with Harry and Hermione and Fleur and Penelope and Angela and her darling, darling godson Teddy and all their other friends gathered around, she knows, without a doubt, that while Fred is gone and Percy had left them for so long, they watch out for her anyway because their family and the love each other more than anything else.


	34. Ring

The sun is shining brightly above when he finally brings out the sparkling band. She's leaning on a tree, her bushy hair getting slightly caught on the bark when her hands are still in her lap. Her eyes are closed, and he thinks that she doesn't realize that she's humming a joyous little tune.

He crawls over to her and kneels in front of her, brushing her bangs from her eyes. One brown eye opens to look at him, and she smiles. He gives her an unsure smile back, and she notices, of course she does, and her pretty little smile disappears. "Everything okay?" she asks him.

He nods. Then, completely without his consent, his mouth opens and he blurts out, "Marry me."

Her eyes grow steadily wider after that, he ducks his head and moves one hand to the back of his neck, while he shows her the ring with the other. He lifts his head when she takes it, and he finds her sitting there with it on her finger, mouthing "Yes," over and over. He doesn't think she realizes it.


End file.
